<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Being Honest by maketea, Taliax</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24791884">Being Honest</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/maketea/pseuds/maketea'>maketea</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taliax/pseuds/Taliax'>Taliax</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Collaboration, F/M, Fluff, Post-Reveal Pre-Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Romance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 10:28:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,084</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24791884</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/maketea/pseuds/maketea, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taliax/pseuds/Taliax</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Marinette and Adrien can finally share almost everything: identities, quiet moments, embarrassing memories. Now if only she could share how badly she wants to be with him.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>97</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>516</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is a collab between me (taliax) and the amazing maketea/rosekasa!  We had so much fun with this, hope you enjoy it too!  I wrote this chapter, she wrote the second chapter which will be up in a day or two.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hearing Adrien’s unrestrained laugh so close to her ear was more thrilling than any amount of swinging across rooftops.  He clung tighter to her, his arms around her neck, her left arm bracing the crook of his knees.  It was a miracle she landed them on her balcony without splatting into a wall, or tangling them in the yo-yo’s string, or crashing through her skylight.</p>
<p>(She shouldn't think about how they would land on her bed, about the tiny sliver of her that thought such an embarrassment would be worth it to end up tangled with him.)</p>
<p>“Thanks, Marinette,” he said with a wide grin as her feet touched down without incident.</p>
<p>Even though no one could hear him from up on her balcony, her masked face burned at him calling her by her civilian name.  The week since their mutual reveal had only stoked the embers of her crush that she had never managed to stamp out.</p>
<p>(She wasn’t sure if she meant her crush on Adrien, or her crush on Chat. And at this point she supposed there wasn’t a difference.)</p>
<p>“Y-you’re welcome. Figured it beat waiting for Plagg to finish his cheese.” Even though it meant that Ladybug and Adrien returned to the balcony where Marinette and Chat Noir had been sharing macarons before the night’s akuma alert went off.  Had she been careful enough to stay out of sight on the return trip?  She usually was, but she also usually wasn’t distracted by the scent of strawberry shampoo and Camembert cheese and something she couldn’t place that was just <em>him, </em>and she—</p>
<p>She was having a harder and harder time not blurting <em>I love you </em>every second his eyes were on hers.</p>
<p>She didn’t drop him.  It was probably close enough though, with the way her arm pulled out from beneath his knees as if he was the one burning up and not her.  He wasn’t a superhero for nothing, though, and he caught himself with a grace she could only muster in the suit.</p>
<p>“I’m so glad I don’t have to hide from you anymore,” he said, his arms slipping from around her neck, leaving her at the mercy of the chilling wind.  “Thank you for trusting me.”</p>
<p>“You know there’s no one I trust more,” she murmured, because even if she couldn’t yet bring herself to tell the truth about her feelings, she couldn’t lie about that.  “I’m glad, too.  I couldn’t have kept going like… like I was.”</p>
<p>She’d explained most of the reasoning behind revealing their identities, not that Chat had needed convincing.  Fu was no longer here; his rules didn’t apply.  Marinette was the Guardian.  She needed to know his identity in case anything happened to him.  And vice versa—if anything happened to her and Tikki, there would be <em>no one at all </em>who knew Ladybug’s identity.  She didn’t need to explain how much of a disaster that could be.</p>
<p>And so she’d pushed aside her fears of a shattered moon and ice blue eyes and snow white leather.  Chat Noir <em>needed </em>to know who she was.</p>
<p>(And she… she needed <em>him.  </em>As her full partner, as her support during more than just akuma attacks.  Maybe that was selfish of her, but she didn’t regret it yet.)</p>
<p>“Do you still have time to stay?” She asked out of politeness.  She knew he did have the time if he wanted to.  The Adrien Pull-Down Schedule had made a return after their reveal—for purely logistical reasons, of course.  It was important to plan their patrols at times Nathalie would be least likely to miss him, especially now that they were taking turns training new miraculous welders too.</p>
<p>“No photoshoots until noon tomorrow, Bugaboo. I’m all yours.”  He winked, and she swore the early spring night got five degrees warmer.</p>
<p>It should’ve been easy to say she was all his too.  The lovesick grin on her face surely did already.</p>
<p>“Ready to get your butt kicked at Ultimate Mecha Strike then?”</p>
<p>Why did she blurt that?  She needed, <em>needed </em>to have a long conversation with him, let him know how she felt, even if she didn’t know for sure that he still loved her back. She wanted to be as honest with him as he’d been with her.  </p>
<p>That had been her plan for tonight.  She’d baked the macarons, decorated her balcony with new lights, drafted her six hundred forty-third confession… Oh well.  A combination of fate, akuma attacks, and her own thick tongue had stopped her before.  What was one more lost opportunity?</p>
<p>“Always, my Lady.”  He bowed, holding his arm out for her to drop through the skylight.</p>
<p>She detransformed before setting up the console, and Tikki gave her a knowing smile before flitting off to gossip with Plagg.  Considering Adrien was spinning in one of the desk chairs beside her, there was no further opportunity for the kwami to give her a pep talk.</p>
<p>Not that Marinette could confess now, over video games.  However she did it, she wanted it to be <em>right.  </em>Adrien had always been a romantic at heart.  He deserved a confession that would blow him out of the water.</p>
<p>“You know, I think you’re the only person besides my dad who will still play with me.” She reached for a controller—nearly brushing fingers with him, just like that first time when they’d almost been partners in the tournament.  It shouldn’t have sent sparks through her now.  He’d <em>always </em>been her partner, and they’d brushed more than just fingertips.  She’d <em>kissed </em>him, even if she hadn’t been aware of it at the time.</p>
<p>All the more reason to make sure that when it happened for real, on purpose, it was perfect.</p>
<p>“I’m not afraid of losing.  Besides, the real victory is just getting to spend time with you.”  Adrien smiled.  “But I <em>have </em>been practicing, so maybe I’ll get a little closer this time.”</p>
<p>He did.  In fact, he won the first match by blasting a few quick <em>Catoukens </em>while she was lost in thought.</p>
<p><em>“The real victory is just getting to spend time with you.”  </em>How could he say it so easily, like it was obvious?  </p>
<p><em>“It’s precisely when it’s important that it’s important to say it, no matter what.”  </em>What he’d said at the wax museum had stuck with her, even these two months later.  But he had no idea just how much of a mess she became every time she tried to say the most important things.  That was why it was better if she planned them out.  Even if Tikki insisted that there was too much Marinette didn’t know about Chat Blanc’s timeline, she didn’t want to risk something terrible happening by fumbling her confession like she apparently had on his fifth name’s day.</p>
<p>“Marinette?”</p>
<p><em>“Ack!”  </em>She jumped at his voice.  His mech was already selected on the screen, while her cursor flashed aimlessly.  </p>
<p>“Is something wrong?”  He asked, brows drawing together.  “You didn’t let me win because you felt bad for me, did you?”</p>
<p>“O-of course not!”  She spluttered.  “You know I never let you win.  My partner would always want me to fight fair and square.”</p>
<p>“Which is why you barely hit a button while I wiped the floor with you?”  He raised an eyebrow, and she felt her face flush.</p>
<p>“I got… distracted,” she murmured, staring down at the controller in his hands.  Maybe if she wasn’t so worried about making her confession perfect, her fingers would already be laced with his right now.</p>
<p>Was she just too afraid?  She was so close, with that video Felix deleted, with the beret that led to the bleak future, even when she nearly kissed him while he pretended to be a statue.  And yet now that she knew he was Chat, all her flustered words were even farther out of reach.</p>
<p>He rolled his chair closer, and his hand hovered near her knee, close enough to feel his palm’s warmth.  But then it returned to fiddle with his controller while he spoke.  </p>
<p>“You can talk to me about it, you know.  Whatever it is.  That’s what I’m here for, Marinette.”</p>
<p>How could he say things like that, when she’d done nothing but turn him down for so long?</p>
<p>(And maybe that’s what she really feared: that she was too late.  That no matter how perfect her confession was, it wouldn’t make a difference.)</p>
<p>“And here I thought you were just visiting for the free pastries,” she forced a joke.  Normally she’d accompany it with a flick of his bell, or his nose, but with all the trust they’d shared over the past week of reconciling their identities, their casual touches hadn’t yet returned.  She missed them more than ever.</p>
<p>“If that were the case, I would’ve left after the akuma attack.” He smiled gently, pausing, waiting.  Each moment he spent staring into her eyes threatened to draw the truth from her lips.  </p>
<p>But she <em>couldn’t.  </em>She wasn’t ready.</p>
<p>“Please, my Lady,” he said softly when she remained silent.  “Don’t push me away again.”</p>
<p>She sat up straight in surprise. “It’s—It’s not like that, Kitty.  I’d <em>never </em>push you away.  It’s just… private, that’s all.  Don’t you have things you still haven’t told me?”</p>
<p>He scratched the back of his neck and grinned sheepishly.  “Um… not really.  I love being able to tell you everything.  I’ve never been able to do that with anyone besides Plagg, and you’re a much better listener.”</p>
<p>Her cheeks heated at the compliment.  Even if it probably didn’t mean much, considering Plagg was… well, Plagg.</p>
<p>“Come on, there’s got to be <em>something,” </em>she prodded, if (mostly) to distract him from finding out her own lingering secret.  </p>
<p>“If there is, I’ll gladly tell you now.”</p>
<p>“Really?  You’ll tell me anything?”</p>
<p>He didn’t even look nervous as he nodded.  “Anything you want.”</p>
<p>It was incredibly tempting to ask if he was still in love with her, but he didn’t deserve that when she wasn’t ready to admit her own feelings.</p>
<p>She tapped her finger to her lips.  “How about… what’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done?”</p>
<p>That was still a low blow, but maybe it would prove that there were some things he’d rather leave unsaid.</p>
<p>But he just laughed.  “That’s it?  I feel like you’ve seen my most embarrassing moments already.”</p>
<p>“I have?”  She frowned.</p>
<p>“Almost kissing Sentibug, accidentally purring at you that first time, crashing into poles, asking you about periods…” </p>
<p>“We agreed never to speak of that.” She glowered, but he just gave his toothiest, Chat-iest grin.  <em>Completely </em>unfair.  Every moment his identities blurred reminded her how head-over-heels she’d been for all of him.</p>
<p>“You asked, Bugaboo.  Unless you want to tell me <em>your </em>most embarrassing moments instead.”</p>
<p>She rolled her eyes.  “Well that one’s up there.  Probably doesn’t make the top three, though.”</p>
<p>“Oh?”  He leaned forward, almost as far in her space as he used to get while suited up.  It was difficult to resist the urge to meet him the rest of the way, until their noses nearly brushed.  “You have a top three in mind?”</p>
<p>“Try top <em>hundred.” </em>She snorted while forcing herself to lean back.  “You have no idea how much I embarrassed myself trying to—”</p>
<p>She choked off.</p>
<p>“Trying to what?”  His head tilted as he frowned.</p>
<p>
  <em>Trying to confess to you.</em>
</p>
<p>“Trying to… keep my identity a secret,” she lied.  It felt like sludge leaving her throat.  </p>
<p>She <em>didn’t </em>want to lie to him.  She didn’t want to keep secrets.  That was the whole point of revealing their identities—and now she was too much of a coward to tell him the truth, all because of her stupid crush.</p>
<p>If he noticed her awkwardness, he didn’t comment.  Maybe he <em>didn’t </em>notice.  He probably thought it was just normal Marinette behavior, considering she’d always been like this around him… around Adrien, anyway.</p>
<p>“Like that time you said you had a crush on me?”  He chuckled.  </p>
<p>Her eyes blew wide.  </p>
<p>“When did I—?  I didn’t tell you that!”</p>
<p>She’d confessed to him?  He <em>knew?  </em>Which of her confession attempts had actually reached him?  Had someone finally told him the truth about the constipation medicine?</p>
<p>“Oh.  Was that supposed to be another thing we’re pretending didn’t happen?”  He winced and looked away.  “I know your dad got akumatized over it, but I didn’t think it was embarrassing.  I know you didn’t mean it now, anyway.”</p>
<p>When her dad got akumatized… <em>oh.</em></p>
<p>“You mean when I confessed to Chat Noir,” she realized.  “Oh.  Yeah.  That was… a thing that happened.”</p>
<p>She was pretty sure she heard Plagg snicker from across the room.  She wouldn’t put it past him and Tikki to spy on them, but they could at least be <em>subtle </em>about it.</p>
<p>She supposed she was just lucky that Plagg hadn’t told Adrien for her yet.</p>
<p>“Can I tell you something else kind of embarrassing?”  Adrien asked after a moment.  The monitor’s screen still flashed, casting red and green highlights across the right side of his face.  Maybe if she focused on the play of the light, she could ignore just how his eyes seemed to pry open her ribcage, lay bare her heart.</p>
<p>“Of course,” she answered, sitting back to give him space again.  He had enough girls trying to get uncomfortably close to him without adding to it.  Even if he’d never minded when she was suited up… <em>Did </em>he mind now?  Maybe she should have asked him that instead of the stupid “embarrassing moments” question.  </p>
<p>“I didn’t know you were, well, <em>you </em>at the time, but…” He swallowed before letting out a tiny laugh.  “It was the first time someone ever said they were in love with me.  If I hadn’t been so in love with Ladybug, I would have gone out with you for sure.  But it’s a good thing I didn't, I guess, since you didn’t mean it anyway.”</p>
<p>There was no bite in his voice, only a resignation so bone-deep she could feel it.</p>
<p>“Adrien, I…” <em>I did mean it.  </em>But only in hindsight.  She hadn’t been in love with Chat Noir at the time.  She <em>had </em>lied, the way she lied mere minutes ago, the way she felt she’d be lying no matter what she said now.  </p>
<p>He still loved her.  She couldn’t deny that, not after how disappointed he just sounded.  But how could she tell him she loved him too after breaking his heart so many times before, in <em>both </em>her personas?</p>
<p>“It’s okay.  You don’t have to make me feel better.  Just being here with you is enough, my… Marinette.”  His smile was a thin, watery thing.  But still he was braver than her.  “I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable.  I guess it’s still possible to be too honest sometimes.”</p>
<p>He chuckled lifelessly, and her gut twisted.</p>
<p>“No, Adrien.  I wish… I wish I could be as honest as you.”  </p>
<p>She had nothing to be afraid of. He loved her.  He <em>loved </em>her, and <em>yet.  </em>The words caught in her throat when she went to say them.  If she spoke now, she was afraid it would sound like a consolation prize, like her finally giving up, and not like the truth it was.</p>
<p>“It’s okay,” he said even though it wasn’t, it <em>wasn’t.  </em></p>
<p>She had to tell him.  She <em>wanted </em>to tell him.  Not tonight; she still needed a little longer to gather her courage.  But soon.  It didn’t matter if it wasn’t perfect. Besides, it couldn’t be worse than any of her other failed confessions.  If he could tell her he loved her over and over again in the face of all her rejections, then she could have the courage to tell him this once.</p>
<p>“Tomorrow,” she blurted, and his head tilted.</p>
<p>“Huh?”</p>
<p>“Tomorrow,” she repeated more confidently, no matter how much each frantic <em>thump-thump </em>of her heart threatened to distract her.  “Meet me on top of the Eiffel Tower.  I’ll tell you everything.”</p>
<p>His eyes widened.  “Everything?  You mean… what <em>do </em>you mean?”</p>
<p>“I told you, I wish I could be as honest as you.  Tomorrow I will be.”</p>
<p>It was a promise.  He could hold her to it.</p>
<p>Tomorrow, Adrien Agreste would learn exactly how much Marinette Dupain-Cheng loved him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>marinette's resolve to confess seems to crumble as soon as she sees adrien.</p><p>a wild <s>ladybug</s> goose chase ensues.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i have no self control. i was gonna post this 24hrs after tali but here i am at 2am, a fool</p><p>here's my (maketea) part of the collab! tali's part was already fantastic so i hope you all feel i did her amazing first chapter justice 🥺💞</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>He wasn't late — </span>
  <em>
    <span>she </span>
  </em>
  <span>was early. But that didn't stop her pacing or her fiddling or her bouncing her knee every time she sat down.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette was shooting for perfect, not sweaty temples and a humid night and her voice stuffing itself with stammers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>"Boo."</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>"Ack!"</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adrien grabbed her wrist before she leapt too far off the edge of the beam. Marinette turned as he hauled her up, sweat now beneath her fringe, too, once she came back to her senses and realised her ear was still warm with residues of his breath.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Sorry. That was funnier in my head." And as quick as he entered it, Adrien left her personal space. He rubbed the back of his neck. "What was it that you wanted to tell me?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ah.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>That</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette dusted off her unscuffed suit, giving herself an excuse to turn her eyes away from him and catch her breath.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Their gazes met.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“U-uh— </span>
  <em>
    <span>Montparnasse Tower!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> she cried.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She scrambled to unwind her yo-yo from her waist and threw it towards an approximation of her route. “Meet me at Montparnasse Tower!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But you said we’d meet here—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ssh.” She put a finger to his lips (oh wow his </span>
  <em>
    <span>lips</span>
  </em>
  <span>), did a double check to make sure her yo-yo had caught, and stumbled to the edge of the beam. “Montparnasse Tower.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette was off before he could get in another word.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The wind lashed a wake-up call onto her cheeks. She couldn’t keep running away from this — </span>
  <em>
    <span>literally</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Adrien might chase and chase and chase for now but nobody would chase forever. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Besides, Marinette was tired of being chased after. She wanted to give in, to throw up her white flag. She wanted to turn and meet him halfway, where she could sink into his arms and look up to his face and—</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She swallowed a massive gulp of air just as Montparnasse Tower emerged through the evening clouds and shook the haze from her brain.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She would do this. She would, she would, she would.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette touched down at the precipice and stayed doubled over for a moment. The tell-tale clicks of his baton approached behind her as he neared, and she knew she’d have to calm down before he arrived.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, My Lady.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Gah!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> In her haste to face him, Marinette tumbled to the rooftop and fell flat on her behind. She was too preoccupied by </span>
  <em>
    <span>him </span>
  </em>
  <span>and his </span>
  <em>
    <span>eyes </span>
  </em>
  <span>and how the night sky was so perfect for his sleek black suit to think much about the pain. “How did you get here so fast?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adrien blinked. “You know we’re superheroes, right? We can do pretty much everything.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette sighed. “Yeah, yeah, I know.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Pretty much. </span>
  </em>
  <span>What an appropriate choice of wording.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He shut his baton and tucked it back into his belt (and </span>
  <em>
    <span>wow</span>
  </em>
  <span> were his biceps always so defined?) She gulped hard, turning her body to face the shimmering skyline, and closed her eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Now,” he said, and she felt her heartbeat in her stomach when his footsteps drew closer. Proximity cleared his voice, all its baritone and fluidity and Marinette's hands </span>
  <em>
    <span>trembled.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “What did you want to talk about?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baritone and fluidity and— oh, God, she needed time to think. She needed a game plan that left no room for her to stutter or stammer or run away again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She snatched up her yo-yo once again. “Place des Vosges.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” he said through an incredulous laugh. “Again? Seriously?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette's eyes were open but she couldn’t bring herself to look at him. Instead she nodded, latching her yo-yo onto a chimney far below, preparing for her flight. “Yes, I’ll—I’ll explain everything there.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Can’t you just—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But she was already shooting through the wind.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With one secure hand (debatable — she was still trembling) on her yo-yo string, Marinette used the back of her other to wipe sweat off her brow. Other than biding her time, her swings across Paris at least cooled off her skin — something she never thought she’d have to do while transformed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She could do </span>
  <em>
    <span>pretty much anything</span>
  </em>
  <span>. She supposed that included screwing up in front of her crush aka her partner aka Chat Noir aka </span>
  <em>
    <span>Adrien</span>
  </em>
  <span> who had sweet smiles and soft hands and would tuck her hair behind her ear if she placed her head in his lap.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette swung herself right into a tree.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She spluttered, covered in shattered twigs and bark and a leaf stuck to her collarbone, then, peering out between the branches, realised she’d reached her destination.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Peering some more, she saw he had, too.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh no.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Squeezing her eyes shut, she pulled her limbs as far into the tree as she could, and sat there, curled up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh, where on </span>
  <em>
    <span>Earth</span>
  </em>
  <span> could Marinette be?" Adrien said from the grass below. Marinette froze when his baton clicked, and, upon feeling something poke into her back, let out a resignatory sigh. "Ah. There she is."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Unfortunately, </span>
  <em>
    <span>there she was</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She shut her eyes, and began to detangle herself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette's fall was one of the few things that had so far gone right. She landed on her feet </span>
  <em>
    <span>(finally)</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and the leaves and twigs and— was that an </span>
  <em>
    <span>ant</span>
  </em>
  <span> on her arm? — did little more to hamper her confidence.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She'd say </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> bar had already hit rock bottom.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Looking up to his eyes didn't improve her state in the slightest. Covered in foliage and embarrassment, Marinette hunched her shoulders forward. She wound her yo-yo until only an inch of string was out, which she twined around her fingers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He waited for her. She didn't pull through.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They stood in front of one another for five silent beats until Adrien took hold of her shoulder.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Marinette," he said softly, leaning into her face. She couldn't bear to look up, now. The paralysis his gaze could put her in was risky, and would leave her confession-less for the rest of the night. "Please don't run from me."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And how could she, if he was asking her like that?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn't want to chase. And she didn't want to run.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette inhaled deeply.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then — she couldn't believe herself — she laughed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was wrong but it was right, which explained the frustration leaking from her eyes and the way she doubled over, foliage and all, to catch her breath. He didn't let go of her shoulder, not even once, and helped her straighten back up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She rubbed her eyes with the heel of her palm. "I… I want to hold your hand," she said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He looked at her. "Is… is that what you sent me on a wild goose chase for?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette met his gaze.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She didn't faint, which was an accomplishment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wordlessly, she opened her hand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He slipped his into hers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then, Marinette raised it to her face, and kissed his knuckles.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She felt his fingers tighten.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I… I want to hold your hand, and go on dates with you, and give you long hugs where neither of us want to let go, and—" She turned her eyes to their feet. "I want to kiss your cheek when I see you at school, and listen to music with you in the library, and sneak off during P.E. so we can hide in an empty classroom and watch movies together."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her heart thudded irregularly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I want to be your girlfriend," she whispered. "If… if that's okay."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He stared at her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She couldn't lift her head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A wind brushed past, and displaced a leaf from behind her ear. His stillness would have concerned her if he hadn't kept his hand pressed to hers, but he didn't move it — not in the slightest — and to Marinette, who was grasping for as much hope as she could, that was more than enough.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Okay," he said. His voice had lost it's solidity. He was speaking breathlessly, not much different to her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Marinette squeezed his fingers. "Yeah?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His arm twitched at his side. Then, in one finalising gesture, Adrien took gentle hold of her chin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He tilted her head. "Yeah."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And they didn't kiss. Didn't speak. But Marinette reached for him, and he reached back, and they stood beneath that tree with leaves and twigs still stuck to her, and held each other.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>